“Everything that you saw in the press was true,” he told IB Times. “My agent was talking with Arsenal but they finally opted for another player.

"We talked with them until the last few days of the market. I am very happy because Arsenal had me on their list. I would have liked it. Big teams always consider several alternatives before signing one.”

New deals for pair

Olivier Giroud and club captain Mikel Arteta will be offered new deals in the coming weeks.